Box or carton.



c. c. PALMER. BOX 0R CARTON.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5.1914.

LAT/4,605. Patented Mar. 7,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET C. C. PALMER.

BOX 0R CARTON.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5. 1914.

1.,1'?4,605. Patented Mar. 7,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z H M 1412;1 1:013

COOLIDGE COOK PALMER, OF ELIZABETH, NEW'JERSEY.

BOX OR CARTON.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 5, 1914. Serial N 0. 816,719.

0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Coomoon C. PALMER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elizabeth, county of Union, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boxes or Cartons, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to boxes or cartons made of paper, paste-board, card-board or other flexible material cut in the form of a blank and adapted to be folded and the parts interlocked to form a receptacle in which various articles may be transmitted through the mails, by express, freight or otherwise, and particularly to a construction by reason of which the box will be securely looked through the instrumentality of the particu-- lar communicating parts, but which may be readily opened for inspection of the contents of the box, and re-sealed or fastened without destroying any part of the box.

In U. S. Letters Patent No. 926,208 dated June 29, 1909, and 1,081,981 dated Dec. 23, 1913, I have described the general features of construction of my improved box, so far as relates to the box itself, and have also described the means employed for locking the box or otherwise sealing the cover of the box. In each of these patents, that portion of the looking or sealing means which forms a part of the cover cooperates with a slit or slits in the body of the box, whereby, when said parts are united, the box is securely locked or sealed and may not be opened without destroying the sealing means.

My present construction difiers from that of those shown in the patents above cited, in that the sealing means, while serving as an efficient looking or fastening device, is so shaped or arranged that the box may be opened for inspection of its contents and resealed, without in any wise destroying any part of the box, thus making the box especially desirable and useful for transmitting packages through the mails.

The accompanying drawings will serve to illustrate my invention, in which:

. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the box with the various parts in a closed or sealed relation. Fig.2 is a similar view illustrating the position of the cover relative to the body of the box during the act of opening the box. Fig. 3 is an end view of the closed box showing in dotted lines, the release position of the locking means when the cover is partially lifted. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the box open. Fig. 5 is a plan 7 view of the blank from which the box can be made. Fig. 6 is a similar view showing portions of the box provided with reinforcing means.

In the drawings, 1 represents the bottom of the box; 2, front; 3, the back; 4-56, the parts adapted to be interlocked to form the ends of the box; 7, the cover of the box; 8, spaced slits in the front of the box; 9, slits 1n the sides of the box. The cover 7 of the box is provided with a front portion 10 and two side portions 11-12, adapted to be turned downward. Depending from the front portion 10, are two tongues 13, and

depending from each'of the side portions Patented Mar. '7, 1916.

1l12 is a tongue 14. The tongues 13 and v 14 have their opposite edges curved downward to a point, and at their widest part near their base are substantially of the width of the slits formed in the front and sides of the box. The tongues are cut away at their base to form the recesses 15. These recesses, as will be seen, are horizontal along then lower edge 16 and inclined upon their upper edge 17 Thetongues on the front of the box have their recesses oppositely arranged, that is, the tongue at the right of the box has the recess at the right, and the tongue at the left of the box has the recess at the left; the tongues at the side of the box gave their recesses toward the back of the In forming the slits in the front and sides of the box, the slits are so disposed that when the box is looked, as shown in Fig. 1, the tongues will lie in the slits and the recesses in the tongues will find a bearing or resting point in the body of the material of which the box has been made, beyond the slits, those on the front of the box at the right and left toward the edges of the box, and on the ends toward the back of the box.

It will be readily understood that the cooperation of the tongues and body of the material of the box, when the parts are in the positions described, serveto effectively lock the box. If now, it isdesired to open the box, this can be accomplished by lifting the cover at its front edge, as indicated in Fig. 2, the effect of which is to draw in the tongues out of engagement with the body of the box and thereby allow the tongues to move freely upward through the slits, and the cover to be lifted.

material sufficiently firm to cause the tongues to maintain their'relation with the body of the box when inserted in the slits under ordinary conditions and sufficiently elastic to permit the opposing edges of the tongues to approach each other when the front edge of the box is pressed upward.

As it may be desirable to make boxes or cartons for some uses, of very light material, too light to insure cooperative relation between the tongues and the slits, I may reinforce the tongues and the slits as shown -at 18 in Fig. 6. This reinforcement may consist of a supplemental portion of paper glued or otherwise applied to the tongues and slits, or I may use athin metal, celluloid or other similar material; or alternatively, I may apply a coating of any body which will harden on drying or by the application of heat. This coating may be applied as a reinforcement, or it may be applied over the entire inner, orinner and outer surface of the box.-

I wish it understood that I do not limit myself to the particular configuration of the box or of the tongue as shown, provided in the case of the tongues, it will be such that My improved box may be made of any in the front of the b0 they will cooperate with the body of the box to lock the box when the parts are in the normally locked relation but which will permit the box to be opened when the normal relation is disturbed Without destroying any part of the box.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: a

1. A box comprisin a body portion, slits 5y portion, slits in the sides of the body portion, a cover integral with the box, and means carried by the cover for engaging the slits to normally lock the front and sides of the cover in closed position and to successively unlock the front and sides, when the cover is distorted.

2. A box comprising a body portion, a cover integral with the body portion, and means carried by the cover and engaging the front and sides of the body portion for normally locking the cover in closed position and for successively unlocking the front and sides of the cover when the cover is distorted.

3. A box comprising a body portion,- a cover, and means for normally locking the front and sides of the cover in closed position and successively unlocking the front and sides when the cover is distorted.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signa ture, in the presence of two witnesses.

COOLIDGE COOK PALMER.

Witnesses:

C. A. HANSSON, CHAs. E. MCCARTHY. 

